Christopher Ward C11 MSL Vintage stainless

The aviation style C11 MSL (mean sea level) was cleared for takeoff in 2011 with the PVD-coated ‘black manta’. In 2012, at the same time as the CHR. WARD logo’s introduction, the C11 range exploded with silver and black case MSLs, Vintage marker MSLs, a quartz chronograph and the popular C11 Makaira dive range.

Also in 2012, the Mercedes Benz Club were celebrating their 60th anniversary, so they commissioned a little-known run of special edition C11 watches to mark the occasion. It featured their logo on the face where the CHR. WARD logo would usually be found and a unique engraved case back. Also unique to this watch was the black Torro Brava leather strap with red pips and white stitching. The strap was a similar design to those used on C70 Motorsport models, however the colour scheme was unique and the ends were straight to suit the C11 case, rather than fitted/curved like the C70 versions. And just in case you needed one final piece of C11 trivia: this MBC model was the only automatic C11 ever made to feature minute markers on the face - the only other C11s to have those were the quartz chronograph and the HRDC, which was also a quartz chrono.

The C11 Auto Benz, as it’s called on the Certificate of Authenticity, was on sale for the whole of 2012 and was retired in Jan 2013.

There are no official figures on how many were made. What sometimes happened with watches like this is that the commissioning organisation will guarantee say 50 watches will be bought, which is often the minimum needed to make the run viable, then they’ll add additional batches if the demand is there. The watch for sale here is number 65 and it’s dated January 2013, so I’d hazard there were 100 made, but that’s just an educated guess.

I’ve seen one of these come up for sale in the last five years and it’s this one! So needless to say, this is probably the only C11 MBC Edition you’ll see for a very long time.

Condition
It’s in fantastic used condition. There are occasional tiny blemishes which show it’s been used, but it’s clearly not been worn much. The original leather strap has plenty of life left in it - which is a good thing because CW sold out of replacements years ago!

Presented as a ‘full set’ in the original inner and outer boxes along with covering letter, unused polishing cloth and owner’s book with Certificate of Authenticity.

Specifications

• Case size: 42mm

• Lug width: 22mm

• Height: 10.8mm

• Waterproof: 50m

• Movement: ETA 2824-2 or Sellita SW200-1 automatic

User Manual
A PDF version of the owner’s manual is available on the CW website: https://www.christopherward.com/on/demandware.static/-/Library-Sites-cw-library/default/dw7acbc0b2/pdfs/Aviation/c11_manual.pdf

Final Notes

• Having followed CW for many years, I’ve observed a few of instances of crowns being pulled out/off of C11 MSLs. So it’s advised to take extra care when pulling the crown out to the time-adjusting position three. There are absolutely no problems with this watch, I’m just recommending you take care to keep it that way!